Several school bond projects are now completed, according to Richmond County Schools officials, including the Fairview Heights Media Center, the gymnasiums at Richmond Senior and Leak Street High Schools and additional classrooms at West Rockingham.

“We are very pleased to see the completion of these projects,” said Richmond County Schools Superintendent Dr. George Norris. “These are quality buildings that the community can be proud of, and we are confident that they will serve our children for years to come.”

Stephanie Doby’s second grade class made their first visit to the Fairview Heights Media Center Thursday, where Media Specialist Shanda Roberson presented a book by Coretta Scott King for Black History Month on their new laptop and projector.

“This is a state-of-the art facility,” Roberson said. “We’re very grateful to Richmond County Schools and the school board for making this possible.”

She and her assistant, Krystal Harris, explained there is more space, meaning they can keep a larger collection of books.

“There’s also more technology,” she said. “The computer lab and the media center weren’t together in the past, now they are, and the building is also very versatile, so we can incorporate new technologies in the future.”

She said it is a far cry from the classroom they ran the library from before.

“I think it makes the children feel like they’re in a real library,” Roberson said. “They’ve even been saying that - ‘We’ve got a real library now.’”

Assistant Principal Sharon Frost said she was also excited.

“We’re very proud of our new addition,” she said. “It’s a very nice upgrade, and the students are really excited, too.”

In addition, classrooms were added to West Rockingham Elementary.

These projects were all funded by school bonds, and are part of the current bond schedule.